Normally, classes are classic lecture style with the occasional trip to the FBI armory and shooting range (yes, they conduct background checks before they put a firearm in your hand).

But last Tuesday’s class was a first for Dallas: instead of merely telling people how the bureau deploys its resources to handle, say, a kidnapping, they let them find out for themselves.

(Pictured above: FBI Special Agent Monica Segedy, left, instructs academy class members on how to process evidence from a car. All photos by David Woo.)
Special Agent Mark White, pictured below (standing), wrote up the fake kidnapping script and recruited agents and other bureau personnel from various units to play roles in the scenario. White, who serves as media spokesman for the Dallas office, also played host to the academy class, walking them through each aspect of the simulation.

Some of the class members were assigned to interview the friends and family of the victim, played by FBI folks. To add some realism, agents produced a fake finger during the interview to knock the class members off their game, simulating the difficulty in conducting real-time field interviews in cases. Who said the FBI doesn’t have a sense of humor.

Other class members assigned to the intelligence team ran fake background checks on all the people involved to help investigators assess their credibility. Others collected evidence from a suspect vehicle, while others ran a remote surveillance unit tracking the suspect’s vehicle around town via computer monitor (it was actually a prerecorded video that they had to keep track of). Here’s what it looked like from their perspective.

Other class members assigned to SWAT got to strap on some gear in preparation for a “raid” of the bad guy’s hideout. Below, Special Agent David Fink, left, helps academy class member John Hudson try on an bullet proof vest.

Here’s a shot of Special Agent Darrell James, center, talking to class members about SWAT operations.

All the while, members of the legal team drafted search warrants and presented them to a judge (played by an FBI agent). Below, Assistant Special Agent in Charge Kevin Kolbye listens in while the legal folks discuss the case.

Each of the groups fed information, as they got it, back to the special agent in charge, played by a class member. Her job was to make decisions on how to proceed with the investigation, the critical question being should the SWAT be called in to force an end to the hostage standoff, or call in negotiators?

Initially, the decision was made to send in SWAT. And it was a good one — the madman could kill at any moment — but it still resulted in the deaths of the captor, the victim and a girlfriend during a shootout.

Agent White then rolled back the clock and let the class see how it could have ended differently by calling in hostage negotiators. A class member was tasked with talking down the suspect, and it worked.

“The decision made logical sense, but it was hard,” said Kim Smith, who played the special agent in charge during the exercise, referring to her initial decision to end the standoff with force. “I was impressed to watch everyone do their jobs.”

Kathy Acosta, who talked the kidnapper out of his hideout with no shots fired, said afterward that even though it was just an exercise, “I got anxious. It felt real. I have much more respect for people who do this in real life now.”

Kolbye told academy members at the end of the exercise that they were getting valuable insight into the tough decisions FBI agents have to make daily.

“You now have a very good idea what we do working to protect you.”

Special Agent in Charge Robert Casey said that class members lauded the time and attention that went into the exercise.

“The class really enjoyed having a hands on approach to learning,” Casey said. “What we have found is providing information in a lecture format gives the class background, but the exercise completes the learning cycle and provides an understanding to the class of how managing a fast breaking investigation presents simultaneous challenges and stressors.”

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Criminal justice reporters, editors and invited guests provide news and analysis impacting Dallas-area police, courts, fire and other public safety issues and entities. Readers are encouraged to join the conversation.